Latch-operating mechanism for vehicle-doors.



W. M. SIMMONS.

LATCH OPERATING MBGHANISM Foe VEHICLE noone APPLIUATION FILED AUG.30, 1912.

Patented Sept. 2, 191?.

L- wwf J ra .l

BURLINGTON, IOWA.

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, WlLLIAM M. SIMMONS, a citizen of the Unlted States, residing at Burlington, in the county of Des Moines and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsl in Latch-Operating Mechanism for Vehicle-Doors; and I do ereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionof the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in latch operating mechanism for vehicle doors, the object of the invention being to rovide simple and eilicient means for enabllng the lchauffeur of an automobile to release-the door latch by manipulating a vlever located adjacent to the front or drivers seat of the y car.

With this and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts as hereinafter set forth and pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation partly in section, of a portion of an automobile showing an embodiment of my invention; Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view; Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view showing the normal latched positions; and Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing the unlatched positions of the parts.

1 represents portions of an automobile body and 2 the hinged door,--the latter being provided with a mortised casing or guide 3 for the accommodation of the latch 4t. A casino 5 is countersunk or mortised into the wall of the car in line with guide or casing 8 (when the door is closed) and constitutes a keeper for the latch, which latter is of the usual beveled type. A plunger 6 is movable in the casing 5 and is provided with a stem 7 freely' movable through an opening in the forward end of Said casing. The plunger 6 is made with a Small notch 8 to insure engagement of said plunger with the free end of the latch, and the lower wall of the casing 5 is beveled, as at 9, to be engaged by the latch for insuring the tight closing of the door.

Il rod or pitman 10 is pivotally secured to the stem 'i' of the plunger 6 and the forward end of this rod or pitman is connected Specification of Letters Patent.

lApplication led August 30,'1912. Serial N o. 717,984.

Patented Sept. 2, 1913.

with an arm 11 at the lower endof a short horizontal shaft 12. The shaft 12 is mounted in a suitable bearing 13 adjacent to the chaufi'eurs seat and is provided at one end with an operating lever 14. A spring 15 encircles the stem 7 of plunger 6 and bears at one end against the casing'5,--the other end of said spring bearing against a disk or abutment 16 on said stem. The spring 15 tends normally to move the plunger 6 to the forward end of thecasing 5 to enable the latch to freely enter said casing when the door is closed.

It is apparent that if the lever 14.be moved from the position.shown"in Fig. 3 to the 6 will e moved rearwardly and, engaging the latch, will move the latter free of the open end of the casing or Akeeper 5 so as to permit the door to be opened. As soon as the operator releases the lever 14, the parts will be caused, by the operation of the spring 15 to assume the normal positions shown in Fig. 3.

Various slight changes might be made in the details of construction of m invention without departing from the splrit thereof or limiting its scope and hence I do not wish to restrict myself to the precise details herein set forth.

Havin fully described my invention, what I clraim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, iszdoor therefor, and a latch carried by the door, of a tubular keeper in the wall of the vehicle bodyand having a beveled wall at its free end, a plunger in said tubular keeper, a stem fixed to said plunger and projeeting through the inner end of said keeper, a spring on said stem normally retracting the keeper, a rock shaft adjacent to the front of the vehicle body, a crank arm projectin from said rock shaft, a rod connecting sai crank arm with the stem of the plunger, and an operating lever also secured to said rock shaft.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

IVILLIAM M. SIMMONS.

Witnesses:

Orme. C. CLARK, JN0. J. SnnnLnY.

The combination with a vehicle body, ah

osition shown in Fig. 4, the plunger A 

